Novels in translation are not just for the literarily-minded reader. The variety will delight many readers with choices ranging from adventure stories to relationship studies to thrillers and who-dun-its. This selection is available to borrow from the Lititz Public Library.
Nothing Holds Back the Night by Delphine de Vigan (French)
A young daughter is left to wonder why her glamorous mother’s life fell into despair and delusion.
Trieste by Daša Drndić (Croatian)
After sixty-two years, an old woman waits to be reunited with her son, fathered by an SS officer and stolen from her by the German authorities as part of Himmler’s Lebensborn project.
Cockroaches by Jo Nesbø (Norwegian)
When the Norwegian ambassador to Thailand is found dead in Bangkok, a police inspector is sent from Oslo to help piece together the case.
Summer House with Swimming Pool by Herman Koch (Dutch)
A violent incident disrupts a family’s week of wine tastings and trips to the beach at an extravagant summer home on the Mediterranean.
Confessions by Kanae Minato (Japanese)
A teacher with little to live for decides to leave her post, but gives one last lecture that sets in motion a maniacal plot for revenge.
The Beggar King by Oliver Pötzsch (German)
In 1662, when an Alpine village hangman is framed for murder, his daughter, a doctor and an underground network of beggars come to his aid.
The Conspiracy of Faith by Jussi Adler-Olsen (Danish)
After receiving a sealed bottle with a years-old plea for help from two young victims imprisoned in a boathouse, a detective follows leads and discovers a desperate woman trapped in a brutal marriage.
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (Italian)
Two friends grow up in an impoverished neighborhood of Naples, Italy in the years after WWII, a time when there was little money or opportunity, especially for girls.
A Treacherous Paradise by Henning Mankell (Swedish)
In 1905, a young woman flees Sweden with the hope of finding a better life but, after two brief marriages, finds herself the owner of a bordello in Portuguese East Africa.
The Ice-Cold Heaven by Mirko Bonné (German)
In 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton, twenty-eight crew members and a seventeen-year-old stowaway begin a treacherous expedition to cross the Antarctic on foot.
The Dream Maker by Jean-Christophe Rufin (French)
During the Middle Ages, Jacques Coeur was the King of France’s visionary First Banker who developed trade and a financial system that led France toward the Renaissance.
Seven Days by Deon Meyer (Afrikaans)
In order to stop a shooting spree against the police, a homicide detective is given the task of solving a cold case that has no leads.
Salvation of a Saint by Keigo Higashino (Japanese)
When a man about to leave his wife is found murdered and the wife has a convenient alibi, a physics professor known as Detective Galileo is asked to solve the seemingly impossible case.
Blessed Are Those Who Thirst by Anne Holt (Norwegian)
Numbers written in blood are found throughout Oslo, leading a police inspector to a series of missing foreign immigrants.
Black Skies by Arnaldur Indridason (Icelandic)
When a favor for a friend goes wrong and a woman dies before his eyes, a police inspector has a murder investigation on his hands.
Originally published on October 17, 2014 in the Lititz Record Express.